This week, the big argument of the A.J. Smith Chargers era -- Philip Rivers versus Drew Brees -- played itself out on the local radio airwaves.

On Wednesday, The Darren Smith Show interviewed Chargers QB Rivers about his relationship with Smith, here’s what he said:

I’m not saying this in a disrespectful way, I don’t know that you would call it a relationship, other than I wanted to play like crazy for him (AJ) and Norv and the organization, and the fans. Other than that it was a working relationship, with few words spoken between us over nine years, really. He had his way of running the team and I was trying to do my job of being the quarterback. It wasn’t a case of there being a lot of conversation or communication between the two of us.

On Thursday, Brees was interviewed on The Scott and BR Show, and when he was asked about his relationship with the Saints front office, here’s what he said:

I would say I absolutely have the relationship with the GM and head coach and guys in the front office to go in and talk to them about those things, (personnel decisions). I also know my place. I would never go in and say we have to draft this guy or we have to trade for this guy, my opinion is asked a lot, and I lend it when they ask about things. Because in the end we all want the same thing, we all want to win a championship. For example, I trained with Darren Sproles during the lockout, I was calling coach Peyton all the time saying we gotta get this guy.

Here’s the point:

What ultimately doomed Smith, besides the obvious fact of giving away star players who ultimately came back to haunt him, was the fact that the man had no people skills.

Forget about how he treated the media, it was how he treated the players, or in the case of Rivers, the lack of professional respectful relationship.

Star quarterbacks must represent the locker room, and sometimes that is uncomfortable. Rivers should have been there to defend the team, on the verge of a Super Bowl run, when Smith single-handedly crushed the team with the Jackson/McNeill holdout, but Rivers clearly didn’t feel like his opinion was welcome.

It’s time for Rivers to take over this franchise before his time runs out.

Scott Kaplan is co-host of U-T TV's Scott and Amber Show. Weekdays, he also has an afternoon radio show on Mighty 1090 AM with former Chargers linebacker Billy Ray Smith.